How long do toads live? If you’re a gardener, you might delight in seeing a toad come by. Given that it regularly hunts insects, slugs, and snails, toads are useful in gardens.
A resident toad reduces the number of pests and removes the need for harsh insecticides.
Would you like to discover more about this wrinkly amphibian? We have information about the typical toad lifespan and other fascinating facts, so keep reading.
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Table of Contents
Overview
How long do roads live? Some frogs, especially those in the Bufonidae family, are referred to as toads.
They have tiny legs, leathery skin, and enormous lumps that conceal their parotoid glands.
The lumps typically referred to as warts, are not infectious. That is, touching a toad won’t cause you to get warts.
Toads come in over 350 different species. They come in a range of sizes as well.
The most miniature toads in North America are the oak toads, which are around 1.3 inches long. The enormous toads are cane toads, which can grow up to 9 inches long.
Toads produce poison in the parotid glands behind their eyes as one of their many defenses against predators.
Only consuming it or rubbing it in your eyes causes harm. Consequently, it would be best if you didn’t necessarily play around with toads.
How Long Do Toads Live?
Depending on the species, toads in the wild have an average lifespan of 10 to 15 years. Toads can, however, live for up to 50 years in captivity.
In the wild, toads often live for three to five years. But captive animals can live for 20 years or longer.
The good surroundings and attention that pet toads receive are the fundamental causes of this distinction.
Toads are safe from predators and ecological dangers when kept in captivity. Additionally, they have access to clean water and a reliable food source.
They can live a lot longer than they would in the wild due to these reasons.
Be ready for a lengthy commitment if you consider getting a pet toad. Your toad might spend a lot of time with your family if you take good care of it.
Let’s examine the average lifespan of a few well-known toad species:
American Toad: The American toad has a 2–10 year average lifespan in the habitat. It can, nevertheless, live for up to 30 years in captivity.
Common Toad: Common toads are shown to live up to 40 years in captivity and between 10 and 12 years in the wild.
Cane Toad: In the wild, cane toads can live for 10 to 15 years. It can survive up to 20 years in captivity.
Toads in the wild had substantially shorter lifespans, as was expected.
They are more likely to have their lives cut short since they have to deal with outside factors beyond their control.
The Typical Toad’s Lifespan
How long do toads live? Let’s examine how these amphibians grow from the egg to the full-grown toad now that we have a plethora of knowledge about the toad life cycle!
Egg, tadpole, and adult are the three phases of a toad’s life cycle.
· Egg
The toad’s life cycle begins with the egg stage. In the water, adult females deposit eggs all through the spring.
Unlike frogs, which lay their eggs in groups, birds release them in a chain. The clusters of eggs are known as spawn.
In shallow water, frogs lay their eggs. It is distinct from toad eggs, seen in deep water and whose spawn wraps around much of the aquatic vegetation.
· Tadpole
Within one to three weeks, tadpoles hatch. The tadpoles are black in hue.
The fact that they have gills and a mouth to breathe and eat means that they have already sufficiently evolved to survive in water. They can only live in water as tadpoles.
Tadpoles may first eat the remaining egg yolk, but once this is gone, they begin to eat plants in shallow water.
There are frequently many tadpoles in the water since the mother lays hundreds of eggs.
Tadpoles are incredibly susceptible to predators like newts, dragonflies, and fish, so females will lay many eggs to ensure they survive.
· Adult Toad
As they age, toads develop legs to move about on land and lungs to breathe air. They ultimately start to lose their tail.
The toad approaches maturity, the last stage of its life cycle when its tail is absorbed. More often than not, adult toads spend their time on land and less time in the water.
What Elements Shorten the Lifespan of a Toad?
How long do toads live? Toads’ size, gender, habitat, and access to food and predators affect how long they live.
In recent years, scientists have become increasingly aware of a global decline in the number of toads and frogs.
Detailing some of the factors is as follows:
Loss of habitat:
A toad’s habitat is the setting in which it lives, eats, and reproduces. If it cannot find the right conditions, it will die.
It is not surprising that habitat loss is the greatest threat to toads.
Wetlands are drained or given over to grazing animals, and humans significantly damage the natural vegetation for buildings and agriculture.
Pollution:
Toads spend a significant portion of their life in water, and because of this, the contaminants in the water can easily penetrate their wet skin.
Petrol, pesticides, fertilizers, detergents, and other chemicals all affect the water that toads dwell in.
Latitude:
According to a study on common frogs in Europe, “frogs from subarctic regions—the northern limit of this species distribution range—have extraordinarily extended life spans, up to at least 18 years.
According to the study, latitude may impact adult frog mortality rates because of “predation, a slower rate of aging due to short yearly activity periods in high-latitude environments,” and shorter annual activity periods in high-latitude environments.
Gender:
Evidence supports the hypothesis that female toads may live much longer than male toads.
According to one study, male toads had an average lifespan of 4.5 years and female toads of 5.5 years.
This discrepancy may exist because female toads have a slower metabolic rate than males.
They consume fewer resources and energy, which could increase their resistance to environmental shocks.
The evidence is still conflicting, but more study is required to discover whether or not female toads live longer than male toads.
Threat from invasive species:
Toad populations are at risk worldwide. These species have the potential to spread new diseases and compete with native toads for resources.
Predators:
Toads still have to be on the lookout for predators despite having a defense system like poison secretion.
Snakes, raccoons, and birds of prey are among the most typical toad predators.
The Oldest Living Toad?
The oldest known wild toad is Georgie, a common toad found in a garden in Hull, England, in 1973.
She is possibly older than 40, if not at least. Toads can live up to 20 years in captivity but only 10 to 12 years in the wild. Georgie is unquestionably an anomaly!
FAQs
How long do toads live in the wild?
Depending on the species, toads have a range of life spans. While some toads only live a few months, some might live up to 15 years.
How long can toads live in captivity?
Toads can live longer in captivity because of their exposure to the same risks and stresses they would be in the wild. When kept in captivity, certain toads live for almost 20 years.
What elements have an impact on a toad’s lifespan?
Environment, predators, sex, and artificial issues like pollution and habitat loss can all affect a toad’s life expectancy.
Conclusion
How long do toads live? Depending on the species, toads have a range of life spans. While some toads only live a few months, some might live up to 15 years.
Pollution and habitat loss can limit a toad’s life expectancy, and female toads may live longer than male toads.
Additionally, toads living in captivity have longer lifespans than those living in the wild because of their exposure to the same risks and stresses.
When kept in captivity, certain toads are likely to live for more than 20 years.